Surge in UKIP Support Among Doctors

The percentage of family doctors supporting the UK Independence Party has surged from 0.3 percent at the last general election to a new high of 7.3 percent, almost double the amount planning to vote Liberal Democrat.

The figures, compiled by GP magazine, also show a sharp decline in Conservative support. At the last election, they were easily the most popular party, with 45 percent of General Practitioners (GPs) planning to vote for them. Now, just 16.6 percent continue to back the party.

Labour are now the most popular party among GPs, although they still only have 18.4 percent support. This may be an improvement from the 14.2 percent they scored at the last election, but it is still a decline from a similar poll 2012, which put them on 25.

Despite being set up with the sole purpose of opposing the government’s NHS reforms, only 1.5 percent of GPs plan to support the National Health Action Party.

Apart from the surge in UKIP support, the other noteworthy result is the general disillusionment that doctors feel with all political parties.

One practitioner told the magazine: “None of the mainstream parties sees GPs as anything other than whipping boys, who can apparently absorb unlimited amounts of unfunded workload. Did I miss the legislation to increase the hours in a day beyond 24?”

A doctor in Lancashire also wrote: “After voting for them throughout my adult life, I have no intention of voting Conservative again in the foreseeable future but do not think Labour would be safe in power again so I am stuck (unless I emigrate).”

Another GP added: “Politics should be removed as much as possible from rapid changes in general practice.”